Google Docs has been around for a while, and most people seem to really love it. I've always wondered why we didn't have a dedicated app for Android for Google Docs, but worry no more. It is now here and available in the Android Market already. It is pretty awesome if I don't say so myself.

The T-Mobile G2x has been a popular device as of late, and ever since we first saw it we reported it as being a quadband capable device, just as the spec sheet said. These specs were even listed right on T-Mobile's very own site, but we now have new information that sadly proves otherwise.

Verizon's 4G LTE Network is down nationwide, forcing those with an HTC Thunderbolt or a 4G hotspot to suffer along with near dial-up speeds. According to Verizon's twitter feed, the Thunderbolt is able to do voice calls, but data is running at 1xRTT data. The outage comes just one day before the DROID Charge, Verizon's second 4G phone, hits the network. Verizon has said they are hard at work to fix the problem. Verizon's 4G network went down late last night, and though it doesn't affect 3G devices, the Thunderbolt has been booted down to extremely slow speeds. There is a fix, however, that will allow the Thunderbolt to get back up to 3G at least.

Qualcomm and BSQUARE have just announced the Mobile Development Platform (MDP), the latest developer smartphone with the Snapdragon MSM8660 1.5GHz asynchronous dual-core CPU. It is for sale now, but it doesn't come cheap as it is for development purposes, not daily use. Lucky for you guys SlashGear has one to give away, you could win this MDP device worth $1,350.

$1,000 dollars says the Galaxy S 4G is faster than your iPhone, that is what T-Mobile has been saying as of late. They are putting that money where their mouth is and are offering it up for any iPhone that can beat the Galaxy S 4G in a best of 3 speedtest competition at select T-Mobile stores in Seattle. See below for more details.

Qualcomm has released the commercial v1.0 build of its Augmented Reality Platform, enabling Android app developers to integrate AR into their software. The Qualcomm AR Android SDK and AR Unity Extension allow for games like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots as shown at Uplinq 2010.
Beta versions of the AR Platform were released last year, with Qualcomm demonstrating an interesting augmented reality photo frame concept which used the camera on Android handsets to identify different displays and then easily change what was being shown on them. This v1.0 release of the SDK now means developers can release apps commercially using the technology; Qualcomm says they'll work on any Android 2.1+ device, though suggests that performance will be stronger on those using Snapdragon chipsets.
Qualcomm's AR Platform is available to download at developer.qualcomm.com/ar now. There's a demo of the AR photo frame concept below.
[vms 97ccb54be14d6a47439b]
Press Release:

Qualcomm Announces Commercial Release of its Augmented Reality Platform
Platform Enables Android Developers to Create and Distribute Vision-based AR Applications
SAN DIEGO — April 27, 2011 — Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced the immediate commercial availability of its Augmented Reality (AR) Platform for Android smartphones. Offered through Qualcomm’s online developer network, this 1.0 release marks the successful completion of the Company’s beta program. Developers can now build, market and commercially distribute applications based on the Qualcomm AR platform.
Qualcomm’s award-winning AR platform will enable a broad range of experiences that entertain, engage and inform consumers with a new form of interactive media. The platform’s rich feature set enables developers to build high-performance, interactive 3D experiences on real world images, such as those used in print media (books, magazines, brochures, tickets, signs) and on product packaging.
The platform supports multiple development environments. The Qualcomm AR Android SDK supports native Android development with the Android tool chain, including the Android SDK and NDK. The Qualcomm AR Unity Extension supports rapid development with the Unity 3 game development tool. A web application is also included for creating and managing image resources that can be used with either development environment.
Industry-leading performance is achieved through Qualcomm’s innovations in advanced computer vision algorithms and close integration of hardware and software. The effect of this performance is a higher fidelity user experience in which graphics content appears more real against the real world background. While applications built on the platform will run on all Android smartphones using Android 2.1 or greater, optimal performance will be exhibited on phones using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ chipset.
“Qualcomm has a long history of providing advanced technologies that drive innovation and opportunity for the mobile ecosystem,” said Jay Wright, senior director of business development, Qualcomm. “We continue the tradition by making leading AR technology widely available to developers for commercial use. With more than 6,000 registered developers, we look forward to a new generation of AR applications available in the Android Market and other application stores.”
Qualcomm and BigPlayAR recently collaborated with the Dallas Mavericks to introduce the first commercial application using Qualcomm’s platform. Mavs AR, a game developed by Big PlayAR, has enabled fans attending the Mavs playoff games at American Airlines Center to point their smartphone running the Mavs AR application at their ticket to play a virtual basketball game in the palm of their hands.
“We are thrilled with Mavs AR – it has really added a new layer of fun and interaction to the Mavs fan experience,” said Mavs owner Mark Cuban. “Based on the game’s success, we expect to use AR for future fan promotions, and Qualcomm’s AR platform has demonstrated itself as a powerful platform for creating these types of 3D experiences.”
The Qualcomm AR Platform is available immediately at developer.qualcomm.com/ar

This week the Barnes & Noble Nook Color eReader received an update that brought to the Android-powered eReader the ability to run apps, check email, and a lot more. The update was the big official step in turning the eReader into a fully functioning Android tablet. There will be third party apps offered on the Nook Color too and American Airlines has announced one of the first.

BSQUARE and Qualcomm have got together and produced a new Mobile Development Device (MDP), this time based on the new 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset. An Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone intended to help developers test and optimize their apps for the new, asynchronous SoC, the MDP has a 3.61-inch touchscreen, 13-megapixel rear camera and 16GB of internal storage.
There's also 1GB of RAM, a front-facing 1-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, HDMI port, USB On-The-Go support and the usual mixture of WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. BSQUARE also preloads several system-monitoring apps, including Qualcomm's Adreno Profiler for optimizing 3D graphics performance and Trepn Profiler for optimizing app power consumption.
Unfortunately this sort of platform doesn't come cheap, and the BSQUARE MDP is a lot more expensive than your average Android smartphone. It will go on sale from today, priced at $1,350.
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[via SlashGear]

The number of reasons to use a smartphone that runs the Android OS are many from web surfing to business use. One of the most compelling reasons for a smartphone to many users is mobile gaming. Games like Angry Birds and others have graphics that are on par with some of the best portable game consoles. Google is set to start a new push into the gaming market and is searching for the perfect person to lead the charge.

Social networking integration is one of those elements that pushes Android ahead of the pack when it comes to smartphones, and Viewdle reckons it can make things even better with its new app, SocialCamera. A free photo app, SocialCamera allows you to instantly share images with Facebook, Twitter and other networks, using a carousel of shortcuts.
It's actually the auto-tagging which is more interesting, however. After you've given SocialCamera an initial lesson as to who your friends are, subsequent shots are auto-tagged with their identity.
The video below explains it more thoroughly, or you can just download and try it yourself. Viewdle SocialCamera is a free download from the Android Market.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/22869441[/vimeo]
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[via TechCrunch]